Zoe Shaw swallowed hard. Feeling the oppressive aura radiating from Cyrus Ford, she could only curse inwardly, "What a petty bastard!"
However, this confrontation left her shuddering. If Cyrus wanted to deal with her, it would be all too easy. Right now, he was just locking her up, but what about the future? Who could say... what if his hatred for her ran so deep that he would even abuse his own biological son? Zoe’s gaze darted around erratically. She didn’t even dare to imagine that possibility. Slapping his hand away, she fled as if running for her life.
Cyrus’s eyes darkened, but he was in no rush. Zoe was now like a bird in a cage, entirely within his control.
Back in her room, Zoe could only lean against the window in sheer boredom, watching Jonathan Shaw get into the chauffeured car for school.
As the car slowly disappeared from sight, her eyes suddenly lit up with a new idea. She had almost forgotten that in this villa, apart from Cyrus, there were two other people who wanted her gone. Making a prompt decision, she acted.
Zoe closed her door and paced the hallway until she finally spotted Claire Lockwood. Approaching slowly, Zoe got straight to the point. "Claire, let’s make a deal."
Claire sneered, intentionally mocking her. "Zoe, I don’t think our relationship is at a level where you can propose deals to me."
Ignoring Claire’s attitude, Zoe seemed certain she wouldn’t refuse. "I want to leave this place, and I need your help. What do you say?"
Even though Claire had been dreaming of kicking Zoe out these past few days, she found it highly suspicious that Zoe was bringing it up herself. Propping one hand on her hip, Claire looked at her with blatant suspicion. "Are your legs broken, Zoe? Don’t tell me you’re plotting another way to trick me."
Zoe narrowed her eyes slightly, momentarily speechless. Seeing Claire’s guarded expression, she knew the woman didn’t trust her. But she didn’t have time to explain, afraid that lingering too long would draw Cyrus’s attention. After all, there were people monitoring her everywhere in this house. The moment she made a suspicious move, it would immediately be reported to him.
As the two stood at a stalemate, Elaine Carter heard the commotion and walked over gracefully. "Zoe, this is not a place where you can run wild. What are you plotting now?" Elaine’s sharp gaze carried an innate sense of authority, as if trying to see right through whatever tricks Zoe was playing.
"I don’t want to stay in this wretched place for another second. It’s Cyrus who refuses to let me leave. Since neither of you wants me here anyway, wouldn’t this be a win-win situation?" Zoe kept her gaze steady and her demeanor calm, entirely unaffected by Elaine’s intimidating aura. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
Elaine stared straight at her, as if verifying the truth in her words. "I can’t think of any reason why you would willingly give up Cyrus. You should know exactly what it means for him to keep you in the Ford family."
"But I don’t want to. I’ll reiterate: I have absolutely zero interest in Cyrus. Right now, I just want to stay as far away from him as possible." Zoe’s expression was open and earnest. Coming straight from the heart, her words left no room for doubt, forcing Elaine to believe her.
Pondering for a moment, Elaine said, "Fine. I can promise to help you get out, but you’d better never show your face in front of me again."
"That’s exactly what I want," Zoe agreed decisively before turning to leave, ready to wait for Elaine’s signal.
Claire furrowed her brow in utter confusion. "Mrs. Ford, why should we help Zoe? What if she’s just playing another trick?"
Elaine scoffed and massaged her temples, glaring at Claire with exasperation over her incompetence. "Regardless of what tricks she’s playing, she’s actually leaving the Ford family.
"Only when Zoe is gone can you be the sole woman by Cyrus’s side. I’m doing this to help you, you fool."
It was no wonder Cyrus hadn’t taken a liking to Claire after all this time; Elaine had a pretty good idea why.
Being insulted like this, Claire’s face flushed red and paled by turns, as colorful and dramatic as a painter’s palette. However, intimidated by Elaine’s status, she could only bow her head. "Thank you for the guidance, Mrs. Ford. I was just not being thoughtful enough."
Suddenly, a phone rang.
Taking out her phone, Elaine glanced at the caller ID. A flash of joy crossed her face, and she completely ignored Claire. As for whether Claire could figure things out, that was her own problem.
"Hello, Faye."
The background on Faye Ford’s end was noisy. "Mom, I’ve already arrived in Avenburg. The university just went on winter break, but I still have to party out here for a couple of days and catch up with my friends before heading back."
Hearing the commotion on the other end, Elaine’s expression darkened abruptly. "What is wrong with you?" she scolded sharply. "All you know how to do is play around all day! If you keep this up, how are you going to inherit the family business?
"If you could just learn a bit from Cyrus and have even half of his ambition, I wouldn’t have to worry about you so much. You never plan for your own future!" Read the latest chapters at g.com.
Elaine had been eagerly waiting for Faye’s break so he could return to the Ford family, show his face, and prove himself in front of others. Yet, he hadn’t improved in the slightest, running off to fool around with his fair-weather friends instead.
Faye had heard these lectures so many times his ears were calloused. He completely brushed it off. "Mom, what are you worrying about? Don’t we have my brother?"
He knew he was accustomed to the life of a playboy, and he couldn’t care less about inheriting the massive Ford family business. Since Cyrus was capable, he might as well take over. On the contrary, Elaine was forcing him every day to study and seize the reins of the Ford family from Cyrus—something Faye avoided like the plague.
"You... get back here right now! I forbid you from fooling around this winter break. Take this opportunity so I can pave the way for you to intern at Ford."
"Mom, I don’t want to go. Ford has so many employees, they’re not short of me. Even without me, the company will keep running just fine."
Faye’s complete lack of ambition nearly made Elaine explode with anger. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably. She wondered how she could have given birth to a son like him.
"Alright, Mom, don’t get so worked up. I gotta go; my friends are waiting for me."
With that, Faye hung up straight away, leaving Elaine no chance to respond. She was left standing there with a dark expression, her gaze as vicious as poison, nearly smashing her phone in a fit of rage.
Standing off to the side, Claire had eavesdropped on most of the mother-son conversation, and a new scheme began to brew in her mind.
Thinking of Faye, Claire couldn’t help but feel a flutter of fascination. He was quite handsome—the Ford family genetics were strong, producing only good-looking men—though he was a few years younger than her. Furthermore, Faye was incredibly playful and had a childish personality. Compared to the mature, steady Cyrus who held the reins of the Ford family, Faye fell far short. After all, various legends about Cyrus still circulated in the business world today. That thought quickly dispelled Claire’s budding interest in Faye.
With Elaine pulling strings in the dark, Zoe was swiftly smuggled out, finally leaving the Ford family. Standing outside and breathing in the fresh air of freedom, she felt incredibly exhilarated. Of course, she hadn’t forgotten the main issue—she needed to hurry up and pick up Jonathan!